Summer heat - how often to feed shubies in new pond

[MajorDan]

My pond has been running for 2 months and fish have been in for 4 weeks. With the summer temps hitting already, how often should we be feeding the fish? Since the pond is relatively new I worry there is not enough natural food for them. We will be traveling for weeks at a time over the summer and will have a neighbor boy watering plants and looking after the pond. How often if any do I have him feed the fish?

 

[addy1]

To be safe, measure out the food so he knows not to overfeed. Or have him feed on a every other day schedule. To much food can really foul the water.

 

[MajorDan]

I do not have a base line for how much to feed them. Once a day? All they can eat in 5 mins?

Since I have been feeding them, I have been giving them a small amount several times a day. Dropping 10-15 small pellets each time, so each fish gets 2-4 pellets.

 

[j.w]

You can feed them once per day. You only have like 5 fish right? I would just let the kid feed them a tablespoon each day and leave it at that. They will not starve. Or if the kid is coming over 3 times a day just let him divide that tablespoon of food 3 times and that's it per day. Bugs, worms etc. do get into the pond and you may not see it but those fish will eat them too.

 

[MajorDan]

Great. That can work!

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

I use our vacuum food sealer machine and make a sheet of little packets filled with fish pellets for each day. That way my family member who comes over to check on our pond can just rip open a single cell and feed them. I do the same thing with the dog's food and treats when we have to leave him with family. As far as amounts, I feed them about the same as you mentioned.

 

[MajorDan]

Good idea. It I am not sure ours would make small packets. Have you figured out a trick to do it? We use it for freezing fish and meats.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

There's a little trick to it.... I take section of bag no wider than the machine and seal the bottom. Then I lay it back in the machine sideways and press in two more seals so that it makes a bag with three columns. I drop in a day's portion of food down into each column and shove it all the way to the bottom of the sack. I feed the open end of the bag across the bar of our sealer and up through the hinged arm of the sealer, kinda' like a piece of paper in a typewriter. I close down the arm onto the bag and seal just above the food portions. (This is using the seal only feature, not the vacuum). Then I drop in another three portions of food down each column and seal above that section, and so on.

 

[MajorDan]

Great explanation. I can do that. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks

 

[addy1]

Mine get no food while we are gone, and not much while we are here. But I have a ton of plants and a mature pond.

 

[MajorDan]

My pond is definitely immature ;-(

 

[420benz]

I have 7 3" gold fish and feed them about a tablespoon full of fish flakes every morning. When it is all gone they are looking for more.So i give them 1/2 tablespoon full. Maybe flakes are not the correct type of food.
The pond is full of plants but no on any of the rocks. I do not use the UV light.

 

[420benz]

I have 7 3" gold fish and feed them about a tablespoon full of fish flakes every morning. When it is all gone they are looking for more.So i give them 1/2 tablespoon full. Maybe flakes are not the correct type of food.
The pond is full of plants but no algae on any of the rocks. I do not use the UV light.

 

[GBBUDD]

I do not have a mature pond . Last year with the duckling and the fish it was a feeding frenzy. Watch any wild life documentary and listen to how often they eat I guarantee it's not morning noon and night. quite often in the wild feedings are sporadic They may not eat for days weeks or months. but splurge when the opportunity knocks . Carp / koi their diet is primarily as Vegetarians . i have cut feedings way way back and the hair algae and algae on the rocks are the target of the fish as they swim around the pond biting at the rocks.

 

[qclabrat]

Two years ago when my pond was first opened we went on a 3 week vacation and didn't feed the fish.
My only concerns were either the pumps failing or a line breaking and emptying my pond. Fortunately neither happened.